NEW YORK — New York City Council passed a bill that will require local carwashes to possess licenses, according to the New York Observer.

Professional Carwashing & Detailing covered the progress of the bill earlier this week in our daily Carwash eNews. You can find that story here.

In addition to obtaining licenses, carwashes will have to meet labor and environmental regulations, such as waste disposal standards and tracking vehicle damage, the article stated.

The licensing process will require carwashes to take out a $150,000 insurance bond, reported the article, however if a wash has a unionized staff or a state-arranged labor agreement, the bond will drop to $30,000.

“We’ve held a number of hearings on this topic, and there’s a clear record of rights and labor violations in New York City’s carwash industry,” said council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito in a press conference following the bill’s passage, according to the article. “This has been a very long fight for fairness in the industry, and today I’m very proud to say that the council is stepping up and passing this important piece of legislation.”

The Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union has led an extensive campaign “to unionize the city’s carwashes,” the article noted, and some carwash industry leaders have labeled the bill “as a form of ‘extortion’ that will cost jobs.”